System designers must currently re-enter data in order to use different Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools. For instance, the "net list" as the term is used by those skilled in the art, once obtained from a schematic must be re-entered during module definition in a 2-D layout process. This process is manual, slow and highly prone to error.
With current technology, any changes made in advanced portions of a design process must also be manually reflected in earlier designed tools. For instance, connectivity changes made in a layout tool must be re-drawn in a schematic tool. This again is a manual process, but also a non-value added process which often leads to inconsistent versions of data. As a result, it is difficult to achieve any significant benefits in design by modeling since at every stage data must be re-entered into new design tools as a design passes through its various stages.
As those skilled in the art will recognize, computer aided engineering tool technology is in a state of rapid change. It is thus unrealistic to expect a single vendor, let alone an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), to provide a single solution to the complex vehicle specific engineering process. To truly engineer a vehicle, unexpected combinations of data must be available for analysis without resorting to reproducing data already designed. If properly analyzed, fewer prototypes would be needed to find all unexpected interactions.
There have been previous attempts to integrate into one system a variety of computer aided product design tools. None of these systems, however, addresses the problems identified and solved by the present invention.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,432 to Kobayshi et al. discloses a CAD system for designing Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). The system allows engineers to use a simulator to develop flow charts defining a functional specification for an ASIC. The designated specification is then entered into a knowledge-based silicon compiler which generates from the flow chart a net list which can be input into any existing VLSI CAD tool for generating a chip topological information required to produce the ASIC. The system includes a knowledge base for storing ASIC design data and a database (cell library) for storing previously-designed, tested and proven hardware cells. The system may be implemented on a computer such as a Sun or a VAX running a view NIX operating system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,162 to Ferriter et al. similarly discloses a method for interfacing a project management tool with a conceptual design tool used for building and modifying the structure of a product such as a lawnmower. In operation, the project management tool interface prompts a user to define various items concerning the product structure. This design data is put into a database and a hierarchical tree of the structure is generated on a computer screen. The user may then access this information from manufacturing data gathered by the conceptual design tool. The data accessed is formatted in a file of the project management tool and then imported into the project management tool. This data can then be modified by the project management tool and can be reformatted for export to the conceptual design tool so as to allow the design process to continue with updated project data.
Consequently, a need has developed for an integration strategy which will support vendor and tool independence. More specifically, a need has developed for an integrated vehicle electrical design and analysis system and method which are adapted to accommodate data interchange between multiple vendor-independent Computer Aided Engineering tools. Such a method and system should be operable in a dynamic and responsive environment. Moreover, such a method and system should have the ability to postpone and determine when and what translations of data are needed so as to ensure that the designer has the most current version of the data in the correct format with the minimal amount of processing.